Photo by Stephen D. Melkisethian |
Photo by timsackton |
During The War of 1812 against the British, the White House was set on fire by the British after a successful attack on Washington DC. The fire destroyed much of the interior and damaged the exterior. The reparation project became a question of national pride, and the building was quickly repaired and began to serve its purpose once again in 1817.
Throughout the history, the White House has been subject for several smaller renovation projects and fire in the West Wing in 1929 caused further needs for repairs. All the restoration projects and expansions of the White House took place on the old building’s wooden frame. This forced a major renovation in the mid 20th century, known as the “Truman renovation”, where almost all the interior was renovated and the wooden frame was replaced with a reinforced steel frame.
As a means of preserving the history of the White House, no substantive architectural changes have been made on the main house since the Truman renovation. Every presidential family has made some changes to their private quarters of the White House, but changes to the State Rooms must all be approved by a special committee.
Today, the White House is a complex of buildings including the Executive Residence, the home of the presidential family. Connected to the main building by the western colonnade is the West Wing; the location of the Oval Office and the the official office building. On the other side we have the East Wing which includes the office of the First Lady and White House Social Secretary. The East Wing also holds the bunker, known as the Presidential Emergency Operation Center. The complex is massive. It is made up of six stories. The building-complex covers 5100 m² and has a total of 132 rooms. There is also plenty of opportunities for leisure activities within the White House, including a tennis court, jogging tracks, a swimming pool, a movie theater, and a bowling lane. The White House is probably one of the most famous of all US structures. In 2007, it was ranked second on the List of America's Favorite Architecture, a testament to the popularity of the building.
Text Source: worldsiteguides.com